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Sadie
Sadie is an American/British/Canadian animated series that aired on MTV, Teletoon and BBC Two. Only the first season was aired on television, while the remaining episodes were released on DVD. Plot The show took place in Prospect Community College and was centered on the eponymous Sadie, a college attendee and aspiring writer who wants to make something of her life. She is aided by her friends, the socially awkward Ori, the sociopathic stoner Travis, his often hotheaded brother Jerry and the intelligent Flip. The show explored themes of depression, withdrawal, loneliness and over-protection, but kept a consistent level of comedy. Scylles and Strange took inspiration from shows/films like Fraiser and Serial Experiments Lain and Pink Floyd: The Wall, with scenes divided by humorous title-cards and the surreal, often dark nature of the latter two. The show featured music from Sunny Day Real Estate, Hum, Filter, Incubus, Failure, No Doubt, Blink-182, The Cardigans, Red House Painters and American Football. Production The concept for the show stemmed from one of many comic strips produced by Elliot Strange. Sadie was based on "Slabs", which he produced for independent publications. A show for the series was conceived in the UK by Waylon Scylles for Trouble, but they passed on airing it due to their lineup being centered on acquired programs from the US and Australia. The production company then decided to pitch the show to an American network and ultimately landed a deal with MTV. BBC Two also picked up the show after Scylles made a more successful deal with the network and the BBC helped co-produce the show. Strange and Scylles hired Nelvana to produce the animation and they agreed on the condition that the show air on a Canadian station and Decode Entertainment became part of the production team as well due to their involvement in Undergrads, a series with a similar premise as well as their shows having a youth-oriented vibe. The show received favorable reviews when it was first aired on MTV, but it was cancelled due to low ratings. The show aired on BBC Two in tandem with the MTV run and found more success in that country, lasting for an additional two seasons with reruns continuing until mid-2004. Characters Main Characters * Sadie Higgins (Morwenna Banks): The eponymous main protagonist. She wanted to enroll in a school based in the US in order to escape from the coddling care of her mother and risk being unable to think for herself when she enters the real world. Sadie is an aspiring writer and a fairly intelligent girl who is often undermined by less intelligent individuals due to their higher authority and her alternative view of the world. Her disfavor for her mother stems from her spoiling her because she didn't want to assert authority nor try hard enough to make her a decent part of society when she was ready to go out on her own. She was born to an Irish mother and an Australian father. In Squint, it's revealed that she was born in Gateshead. * Ori Robbins (Nicole Parker): Sadie's best friend and the secondary protagonist. Ori is the nicest out of everyone in Sadie's circle and is somewhat naive as well. She loathes fashionistas and is content in wearing the same outfit for weeks on end (which is a sleeveless hoodie and denim jeans). Ori is often the victim of bullying and mockery from high-tier students and falls victim to peer pressure, which Sadie often has to help her through. Ori supposedly inspired a school wide nerd ratio, where her geekiness is determined by the size of her behind. She develops a crush on Jerry and it's explored in Squint and Creep. * Travis "The Deer Lord" Sheppard (Danny Masterson): A prominent stoner who lives on campus. His grandfather founded Prospect and as a result, Travis inherited the former's house which he built on campus. He has allowed Ori and Sadie to stay in his house after they helped him avoid expulsion in the first episode, though he isn't thought of as highly as anyone else in the gang. He has avoided legal reprimand through pure luck and common sense and is the go-to guy for other stoners on campus. He earned the nickname The Deer Lord after covering himself in corn and luring a herd of deer onto the campus. His hair sticks up a lot to symbolize a lack of self-control. * Jerry Sheppard (Glenn Howerton): Travis' younger brother. He's the most intelligent of the gang and has spent most of educational life studying abroad until he suffered a mental breakdown and was sent to Prospect to even himself out. He is prone to angry outbursts and emotional fits, but he tends to provide good insight every once in a while. * Flip Gamble (Michael Jace): Originally rented Jerry's room whilst he was away. While not as much of a loose cannon as the others, Travis uses Flip's analytical skills to find the best places to acquire weed and determine if the weed is of the best quality. Flip has the same level of intellect as Jerry, but isn't as high-strung. Other Characters * Hoest Reiner (Gerrit Graham): The school's headmaster. He formerly worked at Harvard until he was sent to Prospect to straighten it out after his predecessor broke down. Hoest was bitter at first to work at a much lower school, but gradually grew to accept it because of a lack of pressure. He was once a frequent partier, but he distanced himself from it in order to be taken more seriously. His name is sourced from Bunny Hoest and John Reiner, the writers of The Lockhorns. * Amy (Jenna Von Oÿ): Among the more popular students, but contrary to belief, she's not a mean individual. Rather, she just refuses to associate with those whom she deems to be beneath her. She judges people via experiences with similar individuals and through their appearance. In the first episode, it's implied that she needs to wear glasses, but she only wears them for special circumstances. After meeting Sadie for the first time, she dared her to hide in Travis' closet, and since then she has avoided the gang. * Eve (Jennifer Hale): Amy's supposed best friend who frequently defends her when someone questions Amy's authority. She is very gullible and would do anything if someone more popular than her told her to. It's revealed in A Keeper that not even Amy likes her. * Dell Higgins (Roma Downey (episode 1) Nicole Parker): Sadie's over-protective mother. Dell has kept Sadie sheltered throughout her child and teen years. She blames her clinginess on a lack of communication with her own mother, until it's revealed that her mother was the same as she was. Dell never punished nor disciplined her daughter, who learned right from wrong from her father and through television. Dell's coddling is not done out of genuine love and care, but out of complete incompetence. Dell seems to live in her own world and is oblivious to obvious problems. * Syd Higgins (Rhys Darby): Sadie's father. For most of his life, he neglected Sadie, but after she began distancing herself from her mother and giving him more attention, he became more caring toward his daughter and tends to encourage her to pursue life on her own. Episodes Reception The show received favorable reviews from critics and viewers, praising the themes approached in each episode as well as the stylish animation. In spite of the positive reception, the show received low ratings and was cancelled in the US in 2002. However, the show continued in the UK until 2004 and maintained a loyal fanbase, only for it to end there due to the production company going out of business that year.